Will India and China bond over Mahatma Gandhi?

Given longstanding border tensions between the two Asian neighbours, Mosiqi Acharya analyses whether today’s talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will set a milestone in conventional bilateral relations.

In almost every way, President Xi’s visit to India is going to be strikingly different from the previous engagements between the two countries. Breaking away from the tradition of receiving a foreign head of state in the national capital, Prime Minister Modi will receive President Xi in Ahmedabad, the financial hub and most populated city of the state of Gujarat, different and distant from opulent New Delhi. Before the crucial talks begin, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to take President Xi on a personal tour of Mahatma Gandhi’s abode: The Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad. The idea might be to draw inspiration from the Apostle of Peace as India strives to resolve its border issues with China without having to assert military might.

Disputed borders have always been and will likely always be a bone of contention between India and China. To say that discussion on border disputes will be part of the talks today would be an understatement.

You can read the full piece here.

P.S: This was first published on Australian Institute of International Affairs' Australian Outlook.

Is Australia ready for India's Gautam Adani?

Gautam Adani, is a self-made, first generation multi-billionaire in India.  Owner of India's biggest private port located on the west coast of Gujarat, Adani's business interests span across coal  mining, construction, education, power plants and resources and logistics management.

He now owns Australia's biggest coal mine, the Carmichael Project in Queensland. A lot has been written about the environmental implications of this project and its impact on the Australian economy but little is known about the man here in Australia. 

Gautam Adani - turned an arid desert in Kutch into a thriving economic hub but at the cost of locals and environment. He flouted every rule in the book to build India's largest private port. Australia has chosen to do business with Adani and therefore it is necessary to know whom are dealing with. 

Profile of Gautam Adani, his empire and his track record was first published in The Age. Full article can be read here - http://www.theage.com.au/comment/is-australia-ready-for-indias-gautam-adani-20140903-10bqbb.html#ixzz3DTBcpQq

A White Paper on The Australia India Trade Relations - Past, Present and Future possibilities

I recently authored a White Paper, which was a joint initiative of the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) and Australia India Institute (AII). This White Paper was presented to Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop and to Prime Minister Tony Abbott in the lead up to his visit to India on September 4-5 2014. 

You can access and download the report here.

Prof. Amitabh Mattoo (AII), Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Dipen Rughani (AIBC)

Sheba Nandkeolyar (AIBC), Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Dipen Rughani (AIBC)

The Himalayan Rhapsody!

Narendra Modi's two day visit to Nepal encompassed almost all possible aspects possible on a foreign visit. Be it political (being the first foreign leader to address Nepal's constituent assembly), religious (visit to Pashupatinath temple), social (his address in Nepali and getting out of his heavily guarded car to interact with Nepalis) or emotional (reuniting the runaway Nepali boy with his family).

Modi's visit to Nepal has been historic in more than one way. Its not only a first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years but Modi is also the first Head of the Government of a foreign country to address Nepal's constituent assembly after it adopted parliamentary democracy in 1990.

Watch Video: PM Shri @narendramodi 's historic address to Constituent Assembly of Nepal https://t.co/b2fcSM3zym
— MIB India (@MIB_India) August 3, 2014

His speech in Nepal's Parliament hit all the right chords. Being a talented orator that he is, Modi's speech which he started by speaking in Nepali became the talking point in Nepali press. There he scored his first goal. His 45 minute long address Modi reiterated India's commitment to Nepal's development by providing USD$1 billion line of credit to Nepal. India also signed three MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) ranging from providing grant to supply iodated salt to making amendments to Pancheswar Multiple Project as well as an agreement between Doordarshan and Nepal Television. Providing economic aid to Nepal was Modi's another goal. But his masterstroke came when he said to the 601-members strong Nepali Parliament that "India would always support Nepal's sovereign right to choose its own destiny. You decide what needs to be done, India will stand by you", clearly indicating that it wont be playing the role of the Big Brother in the neighbourhood. The only "piece of advice" that came from Modi was when he urged the Nepali legislatures to draft a 'carefully thought' and a 'visionary' constitution at the earliest that would address Nepal's aspirations. One of the gifts that Modi gifted his Nepali counterpart - Sushil Koirala, is a documentary series directed by legendary Shyam Benegal, titled - Samvidhaan which documents the planning and execution of the formation of the Indian Constitution.

Another highlight of Modi's visit was uniting Nepal-born Jeet Bahadur with his family. Bahadur left Nepal for India in search of livelihood 15 years ago as a small boy and landed in Ahmedabad. While how did he land at Modi's place is a mystery, the story goes that Modi gave him a place to stay and sent him to school. After staying with Modi for 15 years, Bahadur was reunited with his family that hails from a remote village in Nepal. Modi tweeted from his personal account about the joy of reuniting a lost son with his family.

On a personal note my Nepal visit is very special. Years ago I met a child from Nepal, Jeet Bahadur who did not know where he was headed.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2014

I started showing my concern for Jeet Bahadur. Gradually, he took interest in academics, sports & even learnt Gujarati!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2014

Thankfully, we were able to locate his parents. I am glad that tomorrow the parents would be reunited with their son.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2014

Another aspect that grabbed headlines was Modi's offering of 2500 kgs of sandalwood to the famous Pashupinath Temple which he visited to offer his prayers on an auspicious Monday during the month of Shravan. Sandalwood, a steeply priced commodity in Nepal, is expected to last almost a decade. I wonder who is bearing the cost for such a religious extravaganza.

Felt extremely blessed on offering prayers at the Pashupatinath Temple this morning  pic.twitter.com/t4EK1Yo6AV
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 4, 2014

Besides a small hiccup of the power trade agreement which has been deferred due to certain 'drafting issues', the spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbarrudin, called the trip 'Mission Accomplished'.

Endnote (Important to note)

In case of Modi, his past never leaves his side. Even as he aspires to be a statesman, lets not forget that though he made all the right moves in Nepal and reportedly won the hearts of Nepalis, not very long ago - under his leadership in Gujarat, five Nepalis self immolated in front of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation after the court's order enforced their eviction. Inspite of no direct involvement of the Modi government in the incident, one would have expected the Chief Minister of the state to reach out to the 'Nepalis'. And if not that, atleast ensure justice to the family when some of his own party men were investigated for their alleged involvement in this deadly incident. 

BRICS creates an alternative to The World Bank

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa or together called BRICS have embarked on a huge mission. They are calling it The New Development Bank. It has been widely reported that BRICS nations wanted more say in the global economic matters at the World Bank and the IMF. Failing to address their concerns, BRICS decided to launch their own corpus to restore their waning clout in global affairs.

BRICS, still in its nascent stage - this is their sixth summit - have approved the creation of a $100 billion Development Bank. China, holder of the world's largest foreign exchange reserves, will contribute the bulk of the contingency currency pool, or $41 billion. Brazil, India and Russia will chip in $18 billion each and South Africa $5 billion. Designed to provide an alternative to receiving finance from the World Bank or the IMF, the leaders have agreed to create a $100 billion currency exchange reserve, which can be utilised by them in case of balance of payment crisis.

“The BRICS are gaining political weight and demonstrating their role in the international arena,” Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said after a signing ceremony.

Together BRICS have granted each member country a role in their new endeavour. China has been granted the bank’s headquarters and India has been allotted the first presidency which will keep rotating. The first chairperson of the Board of Governors will be from Russia, while the first chairperson of the Board of Directors will be Brazilian. South Africa will establish an African regional centre for the bank. The leaders insist that this has been decided ‘democratically’ but several reports suggest that China ‘insisted’ on hosting the bank’s headquarters. The leaders finally relented and now term Shanghai as the bank’s most appropriate headquarters as it attracts substantial private funding.

So why BRICS are so keen to develop an entirely new bank when The World Bank and the IMF already exist? They are terming this new bank as an organisation that plans to challenge the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), essentially governed by the Americans and the Europeans. 

The emergence of this bank can be mainly attributed to this underlying but prominent and common feeling among BRICS to rise up to the US and Europe who continue to dominate the global economic situation. Unhappy at being sidelined in the decision making process at The World Bank and the IMF, BRICS – through this bank – aims to fall back upon their ‘own’ bank for their ‘needs’ without having to toe the line suggested by these existing organisations controlled by the Americans and the Europeans.  

The New Development Bank is their first concrete step towards reshaping the Western-dominated international financial system. Speaking about the bank, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his interview to Russia Today said that it sought to decouple dependency on the U.S. dollar and strengthen the rule of international law:

“First of all, this is the common intention to reform the international monetary and financial system. In the present form it is unjust to the BRICS countries and to new economies in general. We should take a more active part in the IMF and the World Bank's decision-making system. The international monetary system itself depends a lot on the US dollar, or, to be precise, on the monetary and financial policy of the US authorities. The BRICS countries want to change this.”

At this moment, what BRICS have set out to achieve seems more like an attempt to pacify their ego than anything else. To begin with, the member countries are poles apart – politically, economically and futuristically speaking - from each other. While India and Brazil boast of a thriving democracy, one cannot say the same about Russia or China. The group has China and South Africa at completely opposite ends of the economic spectrum. Their differences are wide and stark are reflected by the fact that they took over two years to negotiate the formation of this bank. Brazil and India fought China's attempts to get a bigger share in the lender than the others. In the end, China’s might prevailed as the bank’s headquarters will be in Shanghai, but fears remain that China would continue to act like a big brother and ‘use’ this bank to increase its clout against United States. The only respite at the moment for the remaining members is that China will not preside over the bank for atleast two decades.

The future of this new venture hangs in balance as besides working out the modalities of the formation of this bank, little has been thought about the vision or future endeavours. The biggest challenge for BRICS will be to rise above its ‘personal’ agenda and stay together to counter the monopoly of the Americans and the Europeans. Cause whatever the challenges might be, as Nobel Prize Winner Joseph Stiglitz puts it, BRICS bank is “an idea whose time has come.” 

Modi government's one month report card

Narendra Modi at PM's office in New Delhi, India

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes one month in office, there are clear signals of a marked shift from the previous UPA regime in terms of style of governance. Except the case of rail fare hike, which was partially rolled back on suburban journey due to pressures from poll-bound Maharashtra, the NDA government has been firm and decisive.

My report on Modi's first month in office. Listen to the report here or copy paste this link in your browser - http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/hindi/highlight/page/id/345078/t/Modi-government-s-one-month-report-card/in/english

First published by SBS Radio Hindi Program

Understanding Narendra Modi

The Australia India Institute (AII) is a leading centre for the study of India located in Melbourne. Through its teaching, research, public policy and outreach programs, it is building Australia’s capacity to understand India. AII is also a hub for dialogue, research and partnerships between India and Australia. Based at the University of Melbourne, the Institute hosts a growing range of programs that are deepening and enriching the relationship between the two countries.

Australia India Institute provided me an opportunity to represent the Institute at a panel discussion organised by the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) in Sydney after Narendra Modi was sworn in as India's 15th Prime Minister. My task was to throw light on Narendra Modi's style of functioning and what his arrival on the national scene means for Australia.

The panel included, Mr Sanjay Sudhir - Consul General of India, Mr Neville Roach – Chairman, ANZ Advisory Board TCS, Mr Kumar Parakala – Partner, KPMG, Ms Mosiqi Acharya – Journalist (India) and Mr Arun Jagatramka – Chairman & MD, Gujarat NRE Coke LTD (India). Each panellist presented their views of the new Indian government which was followed by a question and answer round. 

Official press release - https://www.aibc.org.au/images/Press_Release_AIBC%20Post%20Elections%2012%20June%202014.pdf
Photos provided by AIBC

Meet Modi's Cabinet: India's new power players

On Monday evening, as 3000 guests gathered in New Delhi for the lavish inauguration of India’s 15th Prime Minister, the eyes of the world were on Narendra Modi. But within India there was keen interest in the other 23 men and women taking the oath of office as cabinet ministers.

“Team Modi” also includes 10 ministers with independent charge, and 12 Ministers of State. At 45 members all up, it is one of the leanest assemblies of ministers to lead the nation in the past 15 years, in keeping with the Modi campaign mantra of “less government, more governance”.

The cabinet includes political veterans Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari as well as a host of young turks. (A full list can be accessed here.) 

With a majority of 282 seats in the Parliament, Modi has not faced any pressure from political allies to include their MPs as cabinet ministers. Free to make his own choices, the majority of the ministers are from his Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) with just a few exceptions like Ramvilas Paswan, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Anant Geete.

Modi’s cabinet includes seven women ministers – Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharati, Najma Heptullah, Menaka Gandhi, Smriti Irani, Nirmala Sitharaman and Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

THE KEY PLAYERS: A FORMGUIDE

Narendra Modi: Prime Minister and also in-charge of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space

Age: 63 years

Constituency: Vadodara (Gujarat) and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

CV: He has served as Gujarat Chief Minister for 12 years. The powerhouse Gujarat Government has won over 300 awards at domestic and international levels under his leadership. Modi has an established reputation  is a strong, decisive leader with a record of ‘good governance’. He is one of the most active Indian politicians on social media, tweeting and blogging regularly to millions of followers.

Targets: He faces the herculean task of reviving the Indian economy and generating jobs. On his first day in office he held meetings with regional neighbours and promised to strengthen ties with them. He also constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to bring back ‘black’ money stashed overseas. Modi is expected to take a hands-on role in all ministries, especially in framing policy.

Rajnath Singh: Home Minister

Age: 62 years

Constituency: Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)

CV: Rajnath Singh is a lecturer-turned-politician and one of closest confidantes of the Prime Minister within BJP. Like Modi, he was a member of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS) party in his earlier years. He has served as Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister as well as a Union Minister in the former BJP Government and has been BJP President twice. Considered close to the RSS ranks, Singh as the Home Minister will have a major say in the government.

Targets: As Home Minister, Rajnath Singh’s focus will be to strengthen the internal security of India which has faced several terror attacks during UPA’s tenure.

Sushma Swaraj: Minister of External Affairs

Age: 62 years

Constituency: Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh)

CV: Former Leader of the Opposition in UPA 2’s tenure, Sushma Swaraj is a seven-time MP and one of the senior most BJP leaders and parliamentarians. Despite her opposition to Narendra Modi being declared as the party's prime ministerial candidate, Swaraj’s appointment as India’s Minister of External Affairs indicates her capabilities – she is someone who cannot be ignored. Swaraj has served as a Union Minister in former BJP governments. As India’s External Affairs minister, Swaraj will play a crucial role in India’s foreign policy. An eloquent orator, Swaraj also represents the woman power within BJP and the Indian Parliament.

Targets: Swaraj’s task will be to establish India as a front runner among world leaders and chalk out a ‘trade friendly’ foreign policy.

Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs & Defence

Age: 61 years

Constituency: He lost the seat of Amritsar, but will continue to be an upper house MP.

CV: Jaitley is one of Modi’s closest confidantes, as signalled by his appointment to such weighty posts despite his personal loss in the polls. Jaitley, a former Supreme Court lawyer, has stood by Modi during his most turbulent times. Modi’s strongest supporter within BJP, Jaitley has often provided him with legal assistance and guidance whenever the Modi administration was mired in legal controversies in Gujarat. Jaitley has served in the former BJP Government as Information and Broadcasting Minister and Minister for Disinvestment as well as Minister of Shipping. This time around, as Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence, Jaitley will be one of Modi’s most trusted aides. With reviving the economy being at the top of this government’s agenda, Jaitley will work in tandem with Modi to ease policies that aide economic growth. As Defence Minister, he is likely to implement Modi’s vision of encouraging domestic production of certain arms and ammunition.

Targets: Jaitley’s task is to usher in economic reforms to contain price rise, restore confidence of investors in the Indian economy. One of the most immediate tasks will also be to prepare the next budget where he needs to keep fiscal deficit in check.

Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Poverty Alleviation, Parliamentary Affairs

Age:  65 years

Constituency: Member of Parliament in the Upper House

CV: Naidu is a veteran BJP leader who represents South India in Parliament. Naidu, a former Party President has served as a Union Minister previously. Naidu as Minister of Urban Development will be responsible for certain major infrastructure projects. Housing and Poverty Alleviation has featured prominently in the BJP’s manifesto and Modi is likely to prioritise these issues as the majority of his voters come from urban areas in India.

Target: Urban Development is likely going to be Modi’s pet project. Naidu will be heading major infrastructure projects in urban areas as a Minister.

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road, Transport & Highway, Minister of Shipping

Age: 58 years

Constituency: Nagpur, Maharashtra

CV: Gadkari is a first-time MP who until now has played a major role in Maharashtra state politics. Believed to be very close to RSS ranks, Gadkari was installed as BJP’s youngest president at the behest of the RSS party. Gadkari is known as an able administrator and came to be known as ‘flyover man’ during his stint as a state minister, during which time he built series of highway flyovers in Mumbai. He has promoted water management, solar energy projects and the use of modern technology and management tools in agriculture.

Targets: As Minister of Road, Transport & Highway, Gadkari will be increasing the road network across the country – not just highways but also interior roads in rural areas. Gadkari will also be heading ambitious projects of modernising the road network.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce (Independent Charge)

Age: 54 years

Constituency: Not an MP - she is likely to be made a member of the Upper House soon.

CV: An articulate BJP spokesperson, Sitharaman was a regular on television debates. An M.Phil in international studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), Sitharaman has worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and the BBC in London. She was part of the National Commission for Women before joining the BJP. On her first day in office, Sitharaman reaffirmed the BJP's stand of not allowing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, but said her government would take steps to boost exports and create jobs.

Targets: Sitharaman’s task at hand is to revive the dmall and medium rnterprises sector in India, which are seen to have the highest potential to create jobs and add to the economic growth.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Coal, Power, New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge)

Age: 49 years

Constituency: Member of the Upper House

CV: A chartered accountant and lawyer by qualification, Goyal holds an impressive academic record. A well-known investment banker, he has advised top corporates on management strategy and growth and has served on the boards of India’s largest commercial bank, the State Bank of India, and the Bank of Baroda. As the head of the BJP's Information Communication Campaign Committee, he oversaw the winning campaign for the party via web, mobile and social-media. Impressed by his management skills, Modi has assigned him the important portfolio of Coal, Power and Renewable Energy, which needs immediate attention. The three ministries have been clubbed by Prime Minister Modi for a more effective delivery of public services.

Targets: Modi aims to remove bottle-necks facing the Coal Mining industry. The government will do this by strengthening the roads and the highway network, to streamline coal distribution across the country which will be used to generate power. Goyal’s task will be to create a ‘transparent’ coal allocation system after the previous government had to cancel 29 block allocations following an ‘unethical’ implementation of the coal policy.

DV Sadananda Gowda, Minister of Railways

Age: 61 years

Constituency: Bangalore North

CV: A third-time MP from Karnataka, this is his first stint as a minister. He has, however, served as Karnataka’s Chief Minister briefly. Gowda, an eminent administrator and a key policy-maker, has served in various committees of the Karnataka State Legislature including the cell for preparing the Draft Bill on prohibiting atrocities on women, the Committee of Energy, Fuel and Power, and the Committee for Public Undertaking.

Targets: As Minister of Railways, Gowda will have to immediately get on with the task of updating the railway systems which has seen some terrible man-made disasters recently. Gowda will also be expected to bring the high-speed trains to major cities across India.

Menaka Gandhi, Minister of Women and Child Development

Age: 57 years

Constituency: Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh

CV: The widow of Sanjay Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi is the youngest daughter-in-law of India’s former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Maneka fell out with her famous mother-in-law after her husband’s death and launched her own political career. She formally joined BJP in 2004 and has served previously as a Minister in BJP government. A former journalist, she is a six-time MP and has played a pivotal role in drafting the new pension scheme. Menaka is also an active animal rights activist.

Targets: The BJP in its manifesto has promised tougher laws for crimes against women. Strengthening security for women, addressing gender issues and looking into India’s high malnutrition and infant mortality rates as well as female foeticide will be Menaka’s priorities as she starts work in her portfolio.

Najma Heptullah, Minister of Minority Affairs

Age: 74 years

Constituency: Member of the Upper House

CV: She is the muslim face in Modi’s cabinet. The grand-niece of Indian freedom fighter Maulana Azad, Najma Heptullah, she is a political and party veteran. She holds a PhD in cardiac anatomy and has published several research papers.

Targets: Najma has been assigned the difficult task of addressing the minority issues, who have remained aloof from BJP. Najma’s task will be to bring them to mainstream through education and job opportunities.

Smriti Irani, Minister for Human Resource Development

Age: 38 years

Constituency: She lost from Amethi. Will continue to be Upper House MP

CV: She is the youngest minister in Modi’s cabinet. Despite losing to Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani has been awarded with a cabinet post for giving him a tough fight. A former model and a popular television actress, Irani has vociferously defended Narendra Modi in television debates. She was recently made the Party Vice-President and is believed to be on excellent terms with Modi.

Targets: Smriti has been allotted a portfolio close to Modi’s heart. As HRD Minister, Smriti will be looking into modernising the Indian education system and will be responsible for reforms in the Education Sector.

Retired General VK Singh, Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (independent charge), External Affairs & Overseas Indian Affairs

Age: 63 years

Constituency: Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh)

CV: Singh is a Retired Army General who fought a long battle with the former UPA government over his age issue. After his retirement, he joined BJP right after Narendra Modi was announced BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. He fought his first election this time and has been given Independent Charge of Development of North Eastern Region of India.

Targets: Modi during campaigning has promised the north-east of better road networks and more job opportunities. As a Minister for Development of this region, he is likely to dwell into border issues of Arunachal Pradesh and check the infiltration from across the border.

First published: http://electionwatch.edu.au/india-2014/meet-modis-cabinet-indias-new-power-players